U.S. Military continues war efforts overseas

This item originally appeared in the Oct. 30, 2003, issue of The Tech Talk.

As the holiday season approaches, many of us forget we are still a country in the midst of conflict. Although the war in Iraq has been declared over, the real battles are still going on strong.

President Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq on May 1, but the violence has yet to end. There have been more deaths after this May declaration than there were before.

According to Bully Magazine, there were 139 deaths before May 1. As of Sept. 15, there have already been 162 deaths.

According to an article by Johanna McGeary on Time.com, attacks on the U.S. military are becoming more organized and planned out.

In addition to death caused by combat, suicide bombers, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades are becoming rampant.

This war is far from being over.

One of the latest acts of violence was a hotel bombing in Baghdad on Sunday. According to an article by Charles Hanley of the Associated Press, one American officer died and 18 people were injured. The deputy defense secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, was in the hotel but was uninjured.

Wolfowitz was quoted saying the Bush administration knew rebuilding Iraq would be tough, but "we didn't expect it would be quite this intense this long."

As Louisiana's 527th Engineering Battalion arrived home this past August from deployment in Afghanistan, we might be tempted to believe the "War on Terror" is winding down.

However, after every war comes a reconstruction period. Not only is the United States helping to rebuild the country and political system of Iraq, but we also have the duty of making sure the young government of Afghanistan survives.

In addition to the United States, the international community seems to have intentions to help rebuild the war-torn Iraq.

According to an article by the AFP, Japan has promised $1.5 billion for reconstruction in Iraq. Spain has also pledged money for the rebuilding.

U.S. allies such as France, Russia and Germany have been reluctant to make any donations. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Fedotov said, "We do not think that the conditions are right for Russia to be giving aid at this time."

In reality, the war was propelled by the United States, so maybe we, as Americans, will have to suffer the consequences of paying most of the costs of rebuilding the nation.

Nearly every day, American servicemen and women are giving their lives for the progression of the country of Iraq and its citizens.

Not only is this war not over, but it seems more tragic deaths of American military people are to be expected.